Hyperbole: Exaggeration for Effect

Recognize hyperbole, a huge exaggeration that is not meant to be taken literally.

Hyperbole (hy-PER-buh-lee) is extreme exaggeration used to make a point or add humor. It is never meant to be believed word for word. 'I have a million things to do today' does not mean exactly one million; it means a lot. 'This backpack weighs a ton' means it is very heavy, not two thousand pounds. To understand hyperbole, ask: Could this really be true?

If not, what is the speaker really trying to say? Read: 'By the time the bus arrived, we had been waiting forever, and my feet were frozen solid. ' The wait was long and their feet were very cold, but neither forever nor frozen solid is literally true. The exaggeration shows how the speaker felt.

• 1Hyperbole is a huge exaggeration.
• 2It is not meant to be taken literally.
• 3Ask: Could this really be true? What is really meant?